Decorative tie which can be joined to a shirt collar

ABSTRACT

A tie for joining to a shirt collar includes a linearly extending strip which is arranged between a shaped clasp cover-piece having a vertical cavity and a clasp shaped as an overturned U and able to be contained partly inside the cavity so as to fix inside it the top end of the strip between the clasp and the cavity. The clasp body is substantially cylindrical and has, emerging from it perpendicularly, two or more studs which pass through a corresponding number of holes formed on the top end of the strip. The studs project from the holes so as to penetrate into a corresponding number of openings formed on a clip-like sleeve which is open on one side and shaped so as to contain in a complementary manner the clasp supporting thereon the top end of the strip.

The present invention relates to the sector of ties which can be joinedto a shirt collar so as to perform a desired decorative function.

More particularly, the invention relates to that particular type of tiewhich is described in numerous documents according to the state of theart, including for example the PCT patent application published undernumber WO 99/09849, where the tie is composed of a linearly extendingstrip suitable for the desired decorative function and fixed by means ofits arrangement in between a hook-type clasp to be fitted to the shirtcollar and a clasp cover-piece which is shaped in varying manners, forexample as a tie knot, and is fixed thereon.

The aim of this particular type of tie is that of being able to jointogether strips and clasp cover-pieces of different types so as to beable to vary the desired aesthetic and decorative effects by means ofoperations which can be performed rapidly and as easily as possible.

The examples of the present state of the art, including that citedabove, have serious drawbacks which adversely affect the decorativefunction and limit the duration of the component parts.

For example, since the said linearly extending strip is fixed bygripping its top end between the said knot-like member and theassociated clasp, the fabric or in any case the material from which itis made is subject to high stresses which crease it and produce foldswhich, in the long run, adversely affect the functionality and aestheticappearance thereof.

This material, moreover, must have an absolutely constant thicknessalong the part which is gripped as described above, otherwise engagementbetween the parts is defective, and achieving this, in addition to notalways being possible, in any case results in increased costs.

Moreover, since the surfaces of the clasp and the abovementioned memberbetween which the top end of the said strip is arranged have apractically flat profile, the part of the strip which emerges from theknot is also substantially flat and not curved as is the case with tieswhich are made entirely of fabric. This feature diminishes the overalleffect of a tie of the type described, such that it is clearlyrecognisable at a first glance and the aesthetic/decorative appearanceof the tie is negatively affected to a certain degree.

A further drawback also consists in the fact that the said strip of atie of the type described may easily rotate about a vertical axis, withobvious negative effects on the aesthetic appearance of the saidassembly. The various components of a tie according to the present stateof the art, moreover, when they are made of plastic, are subject to wearover time and lose their functional capacity.

The inventor of the present invention has devised a tie of the typeconsidered hitherto, in which all the drawbacks and the problemsmentioned above have been overcome.

In the tie according to the invention, the linearly extending decorativestrip is fixed to the body of the said clasp by means of the action oftwo or more studs which, projecting perpendicularly from the latter,pass through a corresponding number of openings formed on its said topend and penetrate at least partially into a corresponding number ofholes formed on a sleeve-like clip which is open on one side and theinternal surface of which adheres in a complementary manner to thestrip/clasp assembly when it is mounted and locked thereon and fixedthere as a result of its flexural elasticity. The said body of the claspis formed with an essentially cylindrical shape such that the stripwhich adheres to it emerges from the assembly curved in asemicylindrical manner, as occurs in ties which are made entirely offabric.

The linearly extending strip moreover does not need to be gripped in aforced manner, since it is fixed by the studs described above and by thesaid clip-on sleeve, and therefore is not subject to damage.

The clasp cover-piece, moreover, has along its edges two coplanar ordiverging flanges which, once the tie is assembled, rest on the user'sbody, preventing the abovementioned unaesthetic rotational movements ofthe said tie.

The clasp cover-piece, finally, may be applied using simple knownmethods, applying its cylindrical cavity onto the clip-on sleeve andfixing it on the latter by exerting a pressure thereon so as to produceelastic gripping between the two parts.

All the advantageous results listed hitherto are achieved by means ofthe subject of the present invention which therefore consists of adecorative tie able to be joined to a shirt collar, as described in theaccompanying Claim 1.

There now follows a more detailed description of a preferred example ofembodiment of a tie according to the invention, chosen from among thenumerous embodiments which can be achieved by a person skilled in theart who implements the teachings of the abovementioned Claim 1.

In the said description, reference will also be made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded, partial, perspective view of the said exampleof embodiment of a tie according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the clasp/strip/clip-onsleeve assembly of a tie of the type shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the tie according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in them it can be seen how, in the tie1 according to the invention, a clasp 5 of the type known per se isformed with a substantially cylindrical body 5 c and with two studs 5 pwhich project from it perpendicularly and pass through a correspondingnumber of holes 2 f formed on the top end of a linearly extending strip2 performing a decorative function and made of fabric, synthetic resins,leather or other materials.

The strip 2 therefore remains fixed to the body 5 c of the clasp 5 owingto the action of the studs described above, independently of anyvariations in its thickness, and it is prevented from becoming separatedfrom them by means of a clip-on sleeve 6 which is open on one side sothat it can flex elastically and be mounted on the said clasp 5 by meansof simple pressure. Obviously the internal surface of the sleeve 6 isformed so that it complements the assembly formed by the body 5 c of theclasp 5 and the linearly extending strip 2.

Advantageously, in order to prevent relative rotation of the said sleeve6 and the clasp 5, the inventor has envisaged forming the said studs 5 pwith a length sufficient for them to project from the top end 2 s of thestrip 2, after passing through it, and penetrate at least partially, asshown more clearly in FIG. 2, into a corresponding number of recesses 6fformed on the sleeve 6. These recesses may consist of lateral incisions,as shown in the drawings, or also through-holes (example not shown).

In this way the assembly is stably fixed, without having to wrinkle thetop end 2 s of the strip 2, and the latter emerges from it curved withthe same radius of curvature as the cylindrical body 5 c of the clasp 5,achieving the desired result already described.

A clasp cover-piece 3, for example in the form of a tie-knot, as shownin the drawings, may be applied onto the assembly by performing a simpleelastic gripping action on the sleeve 6, as already illustrated above,so as to impart to the tie 1 the desired aesthetic effect which isconceptually entirely similar (see FIG. 3) to that of a tie of theconventional type.

It must also be pointed out, as already mentioned above, that theinventor has envisaged forming the clasp cover-piece 3 with the twolateral edges delimiting it folded outwards so as to form two flanges 3t which are coplanar or diverging from each other as shown in FIG. 1.

These flanges, resting in the vicinity of the zone of the fasteningbutton of a shirt collar, prevent rotation of any part of the tie 1, andtherefore the tie 1 as a whole, about a vertical axis, providing the tieaccording to the invention with the desired stability.

1. Decorative tie (1) able to be joined to a shirt collar and composedof a linearly extending strip (2) which is suitable for the desireddecorative function and arranged between a shaped clasp cover-piece (3)provided with a vertical cavity (4) coupled to a clip-like sleeve (6) offlexurally elastic material shaped in the manner of an overturned U andable to be contained partly inside said cavity (4) so as to fix the topend (2 s) of the said strip (2) between itself and the said clasp (5),characterized in that the body (5 c) of the clasp (5) is substantiallycylindrical and has, emerging from it perpendicularly, two or more studs(5 p) which pass through a corresponding number of holes (2 f) formed onthe said top end (2 s) of the strip (2), said studs (5 p) projectingfurther from the said holes (2 f) so as to penetrate at least partlyinto a corresponding number of openings (6f) formed on the saidclip-like sleeve (6), which is open on one side and shaped so as tocontain in a complementary manner the said clasp (5) supporting thereonthe abovementioned top end (2 s) of the strip (2) passed through by thestuds (5 p) , adhering thereto elastically, and so as to be contained ina complementary manner, remaining fixed there, inside the said cavity(4) of the clasp cover-piece (3).
 2. Decorative tie according to claim1, in which the said cavity (4) of the clasp cover-piece (3) issubstantially semicylindrical and is complementary with respect to theexternal surface of the closed side of the said clip-on sleeve (6) whichis contained inside it.
 3. Tie according to claim 1, in which thelateral edges of the said clasp cover- piece (3) are folded so as tocreate two flat flanges (3 t) which are coplanar or diverging withrespect to each other.